Tuesday, November 16, 2010

video shot by a news helicopter owned by KCBS is an optical illusion."

"Pike said the video is of an airplane heading toward the camera and

...the contrail is illuminated by the setting sun. He said the object can't

be a rocket because it appeared to alter its course." .....Why not just say it was a missile test?

(CBS/AP) The United States Department of Defense Tuesday night issued a statement regarding the "mystery missile" seen off the coast of southern California that's been the subject of debate across the country.

The "mystery missile" is a vapor trail that crossed the skies off the Southern California coast and resembled a missile launch.

"While there is nothing at this time that leads the Department of Defense to believe this is a missile launch, the department and other U.S. government agencies with expertise in aviation and space continue to look into the condensation trail (CONTRAIL) seen and reported off the coast of southern California on Monday evening.

"All DoD entities with rocket and missile programs reported no launches, scheduled or inadvertent, during the time period in the area of the reported contrail. NORAD and USNORTHCOM confirmed that it did not monitor any foreign military missile launch off the California coast yesterday and has determined that there was no threat to the US homeland.

"In addition, the FAA ran radar replays from Monday afternoon of a large area west of Los Angeles. Those replays did not reveal any fast-moving, unidentified targets. The FAA also did not receive reports of any unusual sightings from pilots who were flying in the area Monday afternoon.

"If any new information comes to light in the coming days, we will update the press and public."

The Defense Department said Tuesday it did not know what created a vapor trail that crossed the skies off the Southern California coast and resembled a missile launch.

Video posted on the CBS News website shows an object flying through the evening sky Monday that left a large contrail, or vapor trail. The video was shot by a CBS affiliate KCBS' helicopter, the station said Tuesday.

Missile Mystery and More: Strange Sky Sightings

Pentagon officials were stumped by the event. "Nobody within the Department of Defense that we've reached out to has been able to explain what this contrail is, where it came from," Lapan said.

While the vapor cloud captured on video resembled that created by a rocket in flight, military officials said they knew of no launches in the area.

Lapan said that "all indications" were that the Defense Department was not involved with the object.

One expert called it an optical illusion. "It's an airplane that is heading toward the camera and the contrail is illuminated by the setting sun," said John Pike, director of the U.S.-based security analyst group globalsecurity.org.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, issued a statement jointly with the U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, saying that the contrail was not the result of a foreign military launching a missile. It provided no details.

"We can confirm that there is no threat to our nation," the statement said. "We will provide more information as it becomes available."

NORTHCOM is the U.S. defense command and NORAD is a U.S.-Canadian organization charged with protecting North America from the threat of missiles or hostile aircraft.

Pike said the object could not have been a rocket because it appeared to alter its course.
"The local station chopped up the video and so it's hard to watch it continuously," Pike said. "But at one place you can see it has changed course; rockets don't do that."

Pike said he did not understand why the military had not recognized the contrail of an aircraft. "The Air Force must ... understand how contrails are formed," he said. "Why they can't get some major out to belabor the obvious, I don't know."

Swizz Beatz starts the week off with the latest installment of his Monster Monday series, enlisting veteran Rakim to drop off a 16. The mid-tempo track features brassy horns and signature handclaps, with Alicia Keys’ hubbie taking first duties before throwing it to the God MC. “Did you get the message / Hip-hop is back / We don’t know how to act / Tell the DJ bring us back!” raps Swizzy on the chorus.

“IM TAKING IT TO THE REAL ESSENCE OF HIP HOP #MONSTERMONDAYS WITH MY FEAT!!!” he tweeted.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The first track of KRS-One collabo album with DJ Premier “Return of the Boom-Bip”. It always feels good to hear KRS-One over a new Premo beat. Especially when it features the legendary Grand Puba. Go cop that Year Round Records compilation album “Get Used To Us”. Out early next month...

"* Al Qaeda is a creation of the CIA. It is simply a database of names of jihadists who were trained to fight against the Russians during the Afghan-Soviet conflict. * The real purpose is to build up a fake enemy so as to get the American public to support the invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq and now Pakistan. The whole objective is for Oil resources. The secondary objective is the conquest of the middle east for: New World Order, One World Government. * The balkanisation of Pakistan has begun. Pakistan is being dismem" - BBC

A lot has been written about malt liquor sports drink hybrid Four Loko lately. With Michigan's recent ban of the drink, it is possible other states will soon follow suit. Will this be the city's next Zima?

Lower East Side restauranteur Eddie Huang fears the worst. "We've actually been stockpiling Four Loko for the apocalypse," he told Eater. Huang, owner of lower east side joint Xiao Ye, has pledged to host an all-you-can-drink deal at Xiao Ye every Thursday to fight against the ban.

"Four Loko is not a drink," he explained, "it is chlorine in the gene pool. It weeds out all the people unfit for the next generation, like Darwin in a can."

Xiao Ye, Four Loko Thursdays. 6pm to 11pm all you can drink Four Loko $15.

The US broadcasting network MSNBC has suspended prime-time host Keith Olbermann for making political contributions.

The Politico news website said he had contributed to the campaigns of three Democratic candidates.

MSNBC President Phil Griffin said Olbermann had been suspended without pay.

During coverage of the US mid-term elections, Olbermann was one of the network's key presenters.
"Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay," Mr Griffin said, according to a statement quoted by the Huffington Post.

With Rachel Maddow, Olbermann has been one of the most prominent hosts on the network, which analysts say has come to be seen as liberal-aligned.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Its hard to predict whether Dick Gregory will be most celebrated as a path-breaking comedian or a trailblazing civil rights activist. Its impossible to imagine the history of either movement without him—or without his unique blending of the two. In the early 1960s, he became one of the first black comedians to perform before integrated audiences. In 1967, he ran for mayor of Chicago against Richard J. Daley, and a year later for president as the Freedom and Peace Party candidate. The author of and contributor to many politically charged books, Gregory is still a staunch, wry political voice across a range of issues as varied as nutrition, social justice, and the environment. Chicago Sun-Times columnist Laura Washington interviews the provocative and always unpredictable Gregory.

Singer/Songwriter/Producer, Kevin "K" Lipsey is a native of Canton, Mississippi and a graduate of Jackson State University. He started his musical journey in the church’s youth choir at the age of four and by age fourteen, his voice was gracing the radio airwaves as one of the soloists for The Canton Soul Children.

As he embarked on a childhood dream to travel the world, he made a conscience effort to interact with the local artists of host nations, scoring a big collaboration in South Korea with producer, Kim Woo Yong of REX. Lipsey’s career shifted gears when he met his mentor and legendary producer/engineer, "Wolf" Stephenson of Malaco Records. The relationship yielded a wide array of assignments, earning Lipsey credits for writing, producing, engineering, and video & creative directing. He has worked with world renowned composer - Benjamin Wright, Human Nature (of Australia), The Temptations, Cassie Bonner (Love Jones soundtrack), Vick Allen (of the Canton Spirituals), Nonchalant, Christion, Shirley Brown, and The Mississippi Mass Choir. These are just some of the many artists, which include Grammy, Stellar, Billboard awards and nominations. Some of his notable works include “We’re Going Steppin’,” by Malaco artist Floyd Taylor, which was nominated at the 2006 Jackson Music Awards for SINGLE OF THE YEAR.

Though Lipsey has donned many hats throughout his music career, songwriting continues to be where his passion lies. He studies artists like Marvin Gaye, Prince, Maxwell, Raphael Saadiq, and Al Green to name a few. “I learned at an early age that songwriting is about emotions and feel, not so much about vocal acrobatics.” Lipsey credits his uncle and his mother for his musical tastes and influences. “On one hand, my uncle would let me sit in on their gospel quartet rehearsals; while on the other hand, my mom would play her 70’s soul music collection. And I started to make the connection.” Lipsey’s love and passion for music is evident in his work and the foundation of it all can be heard throughout his songs. His sound combines the flow of hip-hop, the dynamics of jazz, and the emotions of true soul. The lyrics paint pictures, enabling listeners to see his story.

Embark on the K. Lipsey experience as he is set to release his debut album, The Treatment.